5 Rules of Engagement for a Marketing Campaign
Within the marketing and advertising industry, the term “engagement marketing” is everywhere. Utilizing “engaging marketing strategies” is the buzzword associated with social media and Web 2.0 technologies like blogs and webcasts. “We have to use Facebook and Twitter and LinkedIn because they are interactive, you can create conversations with your customer, and keep them engaged!”
But, the truth is, creating strong customer engagement has always been a fundamental goal of marketing. Sure, you’re ultimately trying to get the consumer to act – to buy a product, to attend an event, to request more information, whatever. But the first step in that process has to be getting the consumer to care. Really, why should they give a hoot?
You have to create a motivation to want to do something before you can expect an action.
Below are a few guidelines for any marketing strategy – traditional, digital, push/pull, etc. – that will elevate a marketing campaign by keeping consumer engagement at the heart of the campaign.
Define a strong brand
If someone were to ask you what your brand is, you should be able to clearly explain it to them in less than 15 seconds. Consumers’ attention spans are extremely short, so your messaging needs to be sensitive to that. If you can’t get a simple, straight-forward message across in a very brief time period, people are not going to have a strong sense of your brand, and they won’t think twice about it.
Tell a story
Do you know why Tupac, Biggie and Eminem are considered some of the greatest rappers of all-time? It’s because they wrote songs that told a story. They didn’t just blast a repetitive line over and over, they took the listener on a journey.
Biggie told stories
Stories grab your attention and keep you listening. You become invested in what’s happening. The same is true of great marketing. It tells a story. A solid story behind a brand makes the consumer care and feel invested.
Ask consumers to be a part of the process
Ask for feedback, suggestions, reviews, wants, needs, any input, and ask for it directly. For example, if you are thinking of launching a new product, throwing a launch party, or redesigning a logo, get your consumers involved in the process. Let them submit ideas or vote on options, and you’ll compel them to care about the direction of the brand. By getting your consumers involved, you’re creating an inherit investment.
Find where your interactive audience is and go to them
It’s logical. Anyone is more willing to act when you make it easy for them. It’s the golden rule of public relations; make it as easy as possible for an editor to pick up your story by delivering to them everything they would need to write it. The idea being that they could sit at their desk and not have to do outside research or make a significant time investment to get a feature written.
Thirty years ago, mass advertising was a trusted form of marketing. That tactic doesn’t work anymore, and it really isn’t practical.
Traditional ads didn't always ask for interaction
You should be looking for more than just a target audience; you should be targeting the audience that is most likely to interact with your brand. Determine the who, when, where, how and why of your audience. Who are they? When are they likely to act? Where can I present my message and get the most attention? How do they prefer to engage? And, why would they want to?
Be willing to adapt
This should go without saying, but there’s no harm in closing by presenting the obvious. Any marketing campaign deserves an ongoing analysis and revisions when necessary. It is particularly true in today’s environment that technologies and attitudes change and evolve more quickly than ever. A successful marketing campaign, that aims to find and maintain engaged consumers, is one that is ready to respond and adapt as quickly as the market dictates.
What do you think? Anything you would add?